1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of hay feeders for livestock such as horses and cattle and more particularly to the field of such feeders for handling large square bales.
2. Discussion of the Background
Hay bales for livestock such as horses and cattle have evolved over the years from relatively small bales (e.g., 16 inches by 18 inches by 3 feet weighing 40-60 pounds) that could easily be lifted manually by one person to very large round bales (e.g., 6 foot diameter by 5 feet wide weighing on the order of 1500 pounds) and large square bales (e.g., 3×3×8 feet weighing about 700-800 pounds) that require loaders and other equipment to lift and manipulate. The trend to larger bales was mostly a result of rising labor costs but other factors were also involved. Although large round bales have been and remain in widespread use because they can be left uncovered if desired in the field without significant deterioration, large square bales are becoming more popular. In this last regard, the price of hay has risen dramatically over the recent years to the extent that even though round bales were previously considered not to significantly deteriorate (e.g., the outer few inches would weather and form somewhat of a protective layer), even such relatively small deterioration still could represent 10 percent or more of the total dry matter of the bale. Consequently and although large square bales normally need to be stacked and covered, the waste is usually then limited and much less in comparison to round bales left uncovered in the field.
Handling large square bales on the order of 3×3×8 feet and 700-800 pounds still does require equipment to lift and manipulate the bales but there is need for a hay feeder for large square bales that can be easily loaded and operated by one person with very little hay waste.
With this and other things in mind, the present invention was developed. In it, a hay feeder is provided that can handle large square bales and can be easily loaded and operated to feed livestock by one person. In one mode of operation, the small and usually busy rancher or horse owner can have an individual bale loaded onto the bed of a truck at the hay seller's site after which the rancher or owner can return to his or her ranch and unload the bale from the truck bed into the feeder by himself or herself saving both time and money. In another mode and if the rancher or owner has a loader, he or she can still easily manipulate the large square bale without anyone else's help into the feeder where it is supported in a vertical position for feeding to the livestock from the lower end section of the vertical bale.